September 13, 2010

Pirates? in Saskatchewan? "...on Regina's Mighty Shores"?

At Saskatchewan Roughriders football games, the crowd has a great time singing along with a song about pirates in Saskatchewan. When I first heard the song, I was both amused and confused. Pirates? in Saskatchewan? Huh?

The song is about a prairie farmer who lost his farm to the banks and can't find a job anywhere, so he decides to become a pirate on the Saskatchewan River. No matter that Saskatchewan has the booming-est economy in Canada; no matter that there is no branch of the Saskatchewan River going through Regina, home of the Roughriders; fans here love the song. Here's the chorus:

And it's a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin' down the plains Stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains It's a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doorsWhen ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores

Regina's mighty shores??? In the city itself there's Wascana River/creek, but it's pretty hard to think of that as mighty (except maybe where it's dammed up to form a bit of a lake). But who cares? It's fun.

Comments

Pirates? in Saskatchewan? "...on Regina's Mighty Shores"?

At Saskatchewan Roughriders football games, the crowd has a great time singing along with a song about pirates in Saskatchewan. When I first heard the song, I was both amused and confused. Pirates? in Saskatchewan? Huh?

The song is about a prairie farmer who lost his farm to the banks and can't find a job anywhere, so he decides to become a pirate on the Saskatchewan River. No matter that Saskatchewan has the booming-est economy in Canada; no matter that there is no branch of the Saskatchewan River going through Regina, home of the Roughriders; fans here love the song. Here's the chorus:

And it's a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin' down the plains Stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains It's a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doorsWhen ya see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores

Regina's mighty shores??? In the city itself there's Wascana River/creek, but it's pretty hard to think of that as mighty (except maybe where it's dammed up to form a bit of a lake). But who cares? It's fun.